Meet Joseph Patterson: The Man Accused Of Beating NFL Star Adrian Peterson’s Son To Death Has History Of Violence

The man allegedly involved in the beating death of NFL star Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old son has a violent past involving women and children.

According to the New York Daily News, Joseph Patterson, 27, was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery of an infant on Friday morning before the child died at a hospital in South Dakota. The charges will almost certainly be upgraded now that Peterson’s son has died. Patterson is currently being held on a $750,000 cash bond.

The child -- whose name has not been released -- had been in critical condition at Sanford Health’s USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls since Wednesday, FoxNews.com said. He had severe head injuries and died on Friday at 11:43 a.m. local time after being removed from life support.

A little digging into Patterson’s past reveals a disturbing history of violence. According to the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, Patterson was indicted in June of last year on counts of simple assault of an ex-girlfriend and her 3-year-old son. Later on, he was also charged with violating a no-contact order, the newspaper reported.

Patterson spanked the 3-year-old so hard that his buttocks required ice. He then grabbed the mother by the throat and waved his fist in her face during an argument. “He has [threatened] to kill me multiple times,” the mother wrote in a request for an order of protection, according to the Argus Leader. Patterson managed to avoid a year of jail time in that case, on the condition that he attend domestic-violence counseling.

Another woman also sought a protection order against Patterson in 2004, the Argus Leader said.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, still reeling from the death of his son, told reporters he would be ready to play on Sunday. “I’ll be ready to roll, focused,” FoxNews.com quoted Peterson as saying. “I will be playing Sunday, without a doubt.”

“Football is something I will always fall back on,” Peterson said. “It gets me through tough times. Just being around the guys in here, that’s what I need in my life, guys supporting me. ... Things that I go through, I’ve said a thousand times, it helps me play this game to a different level. I’m able to kind of release a lot of my stress through this sport, so that’s what I plan on doing.”